kokopelli 2

Sunee Plaza was busy tonight with 4 bars open (Winner, Rainbow, One, Green) with patrons in all the bars. New overhead lighting helped to brighten up the area. A pleasant surprise!  But no go-go boys in "uniform" at Winner.
 

Also agree, although I think 90% is more than a bit high. But it's wonderful if you're a top to be in a place where most of the boys you encounter wish to be your bottom.
I had a strange but delightful encounter about 6 years ago. A young Chinese from Macao with whom I had been chatting for about 3 years on the now dreadful if not dead fridae site but never actually met suddenly contacted me on one of the more modern apps. He'd noticed in my profile that I liked Taipei. Turned out he'd been studying in Taiwan and decided to stay there. Although he lived in the centre of the island, when I told him I was coming over for the Gay Pride Parade, he said he'd never been to one and could he join me. I thought he might want to stay the night which I was slightly concerned about because I just did not know him. However, he said he had a friend with whom he would stay. We arranged to meet in my hotel about half an hour prior to leaving for the Parade.
The previous evening I was having drinks with an old friend in one of the Red House bars. It's a great location for merely enjoying lots of eye candy. Suddenly the most gorgeous boy walked in front of us seemingly looking for someone. He then turned around and came up to me asking if I was the one he'd meet tomorrow. I then wished I'd offered to put him up for the night! He was looking for the friend he was staying with. The next day he duly arrived at the hotel and I had planned to offer him a quick snack lunch. But once in my room, he hugged me close and whispered in my ear. "Fuck me! Please!" I said we don't have much time. "It doesn't matter. Please I want now and we can take longer after the Parade." Well, what is a polite gentleman to do. And the deed was done to the great satisfaction of both!

Jusr a reminder - should one be needed - that if you any any assets at all in Thailand you need to have a will written and executed in Thai for the disposal of those assets. So if you own a condo, have money in a bank account, etc., without such a will the Thai courts will take an age to make its decision about their disposal. In almost 100% of the time, these will go to your nearest living relative. If you have a Thai partner here, he is likely to get nothing if there is no Thai will. This can be done relatively inexpensively through one of the law firms who do this on the internet.

In 2017 I had returned from Bangkok to UK by a week when I heard on Facebook that a Vietnamese man, aged 20, who I knew, had died after jumping into the Chao Phraya river after a tiff with a woman in a taxi at 05.30am after going to a birthday party. I don't think me meant to die, just to make a point to the woman, but I guess he was drunk. He worked in Red Dragon Bar on Patpong Soi 2. That day I flew to Ha Tinh to visit his family. I will never forget him. In a week I will be in Bangkok. I will be more generous to the lads as a tribute to his memory.  

Can't answer your question as I died last year when I reached 82, at least according to your estimate above.

My oldest friend died a year ago aged seventy-five. I was the only person who knew he was gay apart from a few masseurs in Pattaya to whom I almost dragged him. Even there he was uncomfortable. 
He was close to his brothers but  they didn't know- or at least he hadn't told them. Perhaps they worked it out. I have to say that my siblings hadn't worked me out when I was forty -five and gave them the news about my own sexuality.
The funeral provided me with an odd sensation, standing around his grave as eulogies were delivered, knowing that a hugely significant fact about him would be interred with his body.
It saddens me to think of what he missed.
I said to him, time and time again, "Carpe diem." Cancer had the last laugh.
But I'm having my own laugh now,  preparing for my second trip to Pattaya and P since Covid.  With  a third one already booked.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Perhaps even worse is when a boy you care about just disappears and you have no idea what happened to him, even after many years have passed. Around 16 years ago I would occasionally go to the up-market Italian restaurant Zanotti on Saladaeng. Sometimes a client would take me. At others I would go with friends. Expensive at evening time, it had a very good set lunch at a very reasonable price. There was one waiter who I found especially attractive. Mid-20s, he came from a town in Isaan. His English was good and his smile virtually to die for. I usually chatted with him. Over time we became friends although he always said he was not gay.
As his room was not far from my condo, I invited him round for drinks after work one evening. I was surprised that he came. Soon he would come quite frequently, almost always sleeping overnight on the sofa. For his birthday, I got a cake from the Mandarin Oriental shop and he was so happy. He said he'd never had a birthday cake before! Only on 2 or 3 occasions would he knock on my door and ask to sleep with me. Although i was not in love with him, I loved his company. He could be wonderfully funny and we spent many evenings on the sofa just chatting and laughing. I considered him a lovely close friend.
After about a year, he and several other staff left Zanotti following a disagreement with the manager. He told me that of the 10% service charge, the manager kept 8.5% leaving the staff to share just 1.5%. Eventually he told me that he wanted to work overseas. The Mango Tree restaurant (near Tawan Bar) had a namesake in Dubai. He had been offered a job there. I checked the contract with which I told him there were several problems. He tried to bring them up with the manager here but was told it was take it or leave it. So he signed and flew off to Dubai. In several early emails he told me how much he was enjoying the work and being in Dubai. Soon, though, things began to turn sour and he wanted to break his contract and just leave. He did have his passport but no air ticket which he was saving up for. I told him just to get the ticket and I would pay him the balance.
Back in Bangkok, he did a couple of part-time restaurant jobs before he was offered a post on one of the Royal Viking Line Cruise ships. Hugely excited, off he went to somewhere in the Baltic. When in ports he would email me saying he loved the job, despite the hard work. Eventually he had some leave coming up. He wrote and asked if he could stay with me in Bangkok. Of course I agreed. Having given me his dates, he said he'd contact me when he got back to Thailand. Sure enough, he mailed me to say he had arrived but would first go to see his family. He'd come to Bangkok after 6 days. That was the last I heard from him!
I mailed him several times. They were unanswered. I left sms messages on his phone which was still working. No reply. I called and just got the ring tone. After a couple of months I wrote that I did not care what had happened to him - maybe he'd married, maybe found a long-term boyfriend, maybe been in a bad accident - all I wanted to know was that he was OK and perhaps see him if he came to Bangkok. If he needed help, I was here. Again no reply. 
I hope he is somewhere and happily settled down with the good job he deserves and a love life that he enjoys. If I could just get one mail saying that, I'd be really happy for him. It would also set my mind at ease. My fear is that something happened when he was back with his family and he died. It's the not knowing that occasionally, even now, gnaws at me.

Surely a key ingredient in enjoying retirement is to be at peace with oneself. However we decide to live out our remaining years, whether short or long, the absence of worry is liberating. Some guys want to be active in pursuing a gay lifestyle and enjoying lfe to the full. Others are unable to do so for one reason or another. I am a firm believer that we all create our own realities. For those who are less than happy, I'd ask you to take time to work out why you feel that way. What specifically creates that unhappiness? What in your view would make you happier (let's leave money out of the discussion as there is often little we can do about that late in life)?
That decided, I believe you have no choice. You have to set those demons, fears, worries aside. See a psychiatrist if you think that might help. I fully realise that changing views that have been welded into your brain for decades is far from easy. But the choice is simple. Either continue with those demons etc. and perhaps keep regretting that you did not do this or do that. Or make a conscious decision that now you are in the latter part of your life, this life is for enjoyment and fulfilment. Your enjoyment and fulfilment. You have to make the decisions. They may seem hard, but you'll be surprised how easy they really are once you have made up your mind. Just do it!

I love good wine as do many of my friends, but not sweet wines!

I love good wine as do many of my friends, but not sweet wines!

In Thailand I know a few that have died. One recently that used to message me occasionally and I knew he was the suicidal type, and that's how he died. I'm sad, but not surprised.

In life, drugs have taken many friends as well as suicide. Some had warning signs....some, no idea what was going on in their head. Before I couldn't fathom how someone could kill themselves....these days, I kind of understand. It's not something that someone wakes up one day and suddenly decides to do it.....it's demos they've dealt with or something they have thought about for some time.

I see friends that I've known since childhood, but don't recognize them because of the drugs they've been doing, it's very sad. I feel fortunate that I never fell into doing drugs....other vices are enough without having drugs involved.

Everyone is responsible for their own path they take, drugs is an escape for some...and most don't realize that that escape could become permanent.

I try to lecture, without lecturing when I run into a drug user, whether they are using at the moment or not. Usually falls on deaf ears....sadly.

During my trip to BKK in June/July, I went to a host bar called Changsha Chill. I threw a private party with a bunch of guys there.
The owner was nice enough to have one of the guys pick me up from my hotel. Granted he was late, but he was handsome and charming, so I didn't let it bother me too much.
At the party, he was having a good time as we all were, though some of the guys felt a bit awkward being in their underwear, including the driver guy. Thankfully alcohol made everyone a lot more comfortable as the night went on.
The next day, I reached out to the guy who picked me up and asked if he would be up for meeting at my hotel. I had actually read about him in this forum and wanted to experience what I read for myself.
When he arrived, the best way I could describe him was tweaked out, as if he had been using drugs. I'm not around people who use drugs much, so I couldn't tell for sure, but I knew something wasn't right with the guy. It could also have just been intense nervous energy. Unfortunately the encounter didn't go great, but he was kind the whole time and I honestly just liked his company as he had lived in Australia and had a high level of English. I never talked to him after the encounter.
Fast forward to just a few minutes ago, and I found out on the bar's Twitter that he has passed away. I don't know why I feel so sad about it because I know he wasn't a good friend of mine or anything, but I thought I could at least share here in case anyone has ever experienced something like this. I don't really have anyone IRL that I could talk to about this.
I wish I would have given him a big hug when he left my hotel that day or that we had just talked more. 
 

I don't understand what is the problem if visiting alone in Thailand you can cruise the gay bars and the apps fuck whoever you wants and  nobody care if you are straight or gay and no one will know what you did or didn't do at Thailand. 

You need to forget those hetero "friends" and find a bunch of gay friends with whom you will share a lot in common.

I also love many wines, red, white and rose and would find life more difficult if I could not have some nice wine regularly from time to time. Unlike @kokopelli 2, though, I love a really good sweet wine at the end of a meal. Although I get to drink it only rarely, a glass or two (they're small for sweet wines) of Chateau d'Yquem is a small miracle. The rich taste of so many honeyed tropical and other fruits in one's mouth and an aftertaste with roasted nuts that lasts at least five minutes. One of life's glories!  

Most of my farang friends in Pattaya have relocated here successfully so it is both possible and practical. 

Ralph and Jack are in heaven; they are living a happy life in Pattaya!

very few in Heaven I suspect considering Sunee reputation at that time

Most of my farang friends in Pattaya have relocated here successfully so it is both possible and practical. 

Most of my farang friends in Pattaya have relocated here successfully so it is both possible and practical. 

depends on your definition of fun 😉

Not all of us came to Thailand "because we sought sexual intimacy we couldn't find at home."  Depending on age, yes ... many.  My first visit to BKK was in 1992 - 30 years ago.  At the time I was not partnered but had a very active sex life in Chicago where I lived.  I also traveled to many other countries.  Sex wasn't the only reason for these travels, but it was an important 'add on".  The only country I've made a first trip to for sex ... was Brazil; Rio de Janeiro.
I've never lived in Thailand, but I have lived on other countries.  The longest length of time I've lived "abroad" was the 6 years I spent living/working in Mexico; Mexico City.
In Mexico I was in my 40s and had sex to a level as if I was starving (and then having been fulfilled!).  Sometimes, early-on, I had sex with 4 or 5 guys in a single day. If it walked, I'd fuck it.   It was an extraordinary time in my life.  As I satisfied the urge I developed repeat encounters with probably a half-dozen guys.  They'd just show up on my doorstep, unannounced.  I loved each one of them, and there were periods of time when one or two would live / stay with me for varying lengths of time (a weekend, a week, three months, a year, etc.).  Mostly young men from the country, making periodic visits to the big city.  Not just in Mexico City, but in Acapulco.  A couple of them were elite military.  Awesome lovers, each. 
Direct payment of money for sex/companionship wasn't always expected.  When it was, it was (at the time) relatively minimal (Peso equivalent of US$20/50 per stay, usually).  Though, one was a dental student who needed US$200 for dental school tuition (one of the most fantastic fucks I've ever had).  They'd stay with me, I'd give them a place to stay, feed them, do their laundry, buy them some new clothing, a return bus ticket home ... and in two instances money to get them across the border into the USA to join family members (one of whom perished working in the World Trade Center 9/11).
"True love"?  Yes.  At my age, I've learned to accept what comes my way - with gratitude.  Share my affections and accept those of others ... without demands from either side.  I have no problem sharing what I have, when I have it with partners (temporary or not) when they need help.
 

Guess I'll just count myself as very lucky. The last six years of my life have been the happiest of the preceding 70. Up until that point I'd always considered myself a committed butterfly.
I don't concern myself with "true" love. I'm perfectly happy just to have someone simply to love. I don't need a litmus test with which to measure it.
We insulate ourselves by the use of language. We become "clients", young men become "professionals." That makes it easier to put the required emotional distance between us. For many, that's a healthy way to look at it. The parties part ways without emotional baggage.
I tip my hat to all those who find contentment in their later years without any emotional attachments. At one time I counted myself in that camp. And then a simple smile turned my life on a dime. You may think of me as foolhardy and delusional. So be it. But you can't feel what I feel; know what I know.
We all came to Thailand because we sought sexual intimacy we couldn't find at home. Please be tolerant of those of us who discovered emotional intimacy and affection in that same pursuit.

This forum regularly sees members unabashedly post about fucking boys, sucking boys, kissing boys and rimming boys.
Odd how when someone suggests loving boys the naysayers come out of the woodwork.
Just saying.

Do you think with just a little more effort (i.e., stay up till 3a.m.) you could get one of them down to 400 and 31 minutes?